Modules and Plugins

Overview

Sociable includes modules for displaying social content throughout your site and plugins for integrating with Joomla's core systems. This guide covers configuration options for each.

Modules

Activity Feed Module (mod_sociable_feed)

Displays a feed of recent activities on your site.

Configuration Options:

Setting	Description	Default
Limit	Number of activities to display	5
Show Avatar	Display user avatars	Yes
Show Reactions	Display reaction counts	Yes
Show Comments Count	Display comment counts	Yes
Feed Type	Type of feed to display	All
Cache Time	Cache duration in seconds	300

Feed Types:

Type	Description
all	All public activities
following	Activities from followed users (logged-in users)
public	Public activities only

Setup:

1. Go to System → Site Modules
2. Create new mod_sociable_feed module
3. Configure display options
4. Assign to position and pages
5. Publish

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Members Module (mod_sociable_members)

Displays a list of community members.

Configuration Options:

Setting	Description	Default
Limit	Number of members to display	8
Display Type	Layout style	Grid
Member Type	Filter members by criteria	Newest
Show Stats	Display member statistics	Yes
Show Follow Button	Show follow/connect button	Yes

Display Types:

Type	Description
grid	Grid layout with avatars
list	Vertical list layout
carousel	Horizontal scrolling carousel

Member Types:

Type	Description
newest	Most recently registered members
popular	Members with most followers
active	Most active members (by posts)
verified	Verified members only

Setup:

1. Go to System → Site Modules
2. Create new mod_sociable_members module
3. Select member type and display options
4. Assign to position
5. Publish

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Groups Module (mod_sociable_groups)

Displays community groups.

Configuration Options:

Setting	Description	Default
Limit	Number of groups to display	6
Display Type	Layout style	Grid
Group Type	Filter groups by criteria	Popular
Category ID	Filter by category (0 = all)	0
Show Cover	Display group cover images	Yes
Show Member Count	Display number of members	Yes
Show Join Button	Show join button	Yes

Display Types:

Type	Description
grid	Grid layout with covers
list	Vertical list layout
compact	Compact minimal layout

Group Types:

Type	Description
popular	Most members
newest	Recently created
active	Most recent activity
suggested	AI-suggested for current user
my_groups	Groups the user belongs to

Setup:

1. Go to System → Site Modules
2. Create new mod_sociable_groups module
3. Configure display and filter options
4. Assign to position
5. Publish

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Notifications Module (mod_sociable_notifications)

Displays user notifications (for logged-in users).

Configuration Options:

Setting	Description	Default
Limit	Number of notifications to show	5
Display Type	Layout style	Dropdown
Show Unread Only	Only show unread notifications	No
Show Avatar	Display sender avatars	Yes
Show Time	Display notification timestamps	Yes
Auto Refresh	Automatically check for new notifications	No
Refresh Interval	Auto-refresh interval in seconds	30

Display Types:

Type	Description
dropdown	Bell icon with dropdown menu
list	Full list of notifications
bell_only	Bell icon with count badge only

Setup:

1. Go to System → Site Modules
2. Create new mod_sociable_notifications module
3. Configure display and refresh options
4. Assign to header/navigation position
5. Publish

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Plugins

System Plugin (plg_system_sociable)

Core system integration plugin for Sociable.

Configuration Options:

Setting	Description	Default
Load Assets	Load Sociable CSS/JS assets	Yes
OG Tags	Generate Open Graph meta tags	Yes
AJAX Handler	Enable AJAX request handling	Yes
Realtime Notifications	Enable real-time notification updates	No

Features:

• Asset Loading - Loads required Sociable stylesheets and JavaScript
• Open Graph Tags - Adds social sharing metadata to pages
• AJAX Handling - Handles background API requests
• Real-time Updates - WebSocket/polling for live notifications

When to Enable:

• Always enable this plugin for core Sociable functionality
• Required for the React SPA to function properly

Setup:

1. Go to System → Manage → Plugins
2. Search for "System - Sociable"
3. Enable the plugin
4. Configure options as needed

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User Plugin (plg_user_sociable)

Handles user-related Sociable integration.

Configuration Options:

Setting	Description	Default
Auto Create Profile	Automatically create Sociable profile for new users	Yes
Default Privacy	Default profile privacy level	Public
Sync Avatar	Sync user avatar with Joomla	Yes
Delete Profile on User Delete	Remove Sociable data when user is deleted	Yes

Privacy Levels:

Level	Description
public	Profile visible to everyone
connections	Profile visible to connections only
private	Profile visible only to the user

Features:

• Profile Sync - Creates Sociable profiles when users register
• Avatar Sync - Synchronizes avatars between Joomla and Sociable
• Deletion Handling - Cleans up Sociable data when users are deleted
• Event Triggers - Fires points/badge events on user actions

When to Enable:

• Always enable for proper user integration
• Required for new user profile creation
• Required for points/badge awarding on user events

Setup:

1. Go to System → Manage → Plugins
2. Search for "User - Sociable"
3. Enable the plugin
4. Configure profile creation options

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Content Plugin (plg_content_sociable)

Integrates Sociable with Joomla content.

Configuration Options:

Setting	Description	Default
Show Share Buttons	Display social sharing buttons	Yes
Position	Button placement	Bottom
Show Internal Share	Share to Sociable activity feed	Yes
Show Facebook	Facebook share button	Yes
Show Twitter	Twitter/X share button	Yes
Show LinkedIn	LinkedIn share button	Yes
Show Email	Email share button	Yes

Position Options:

Position	Description
top	Before article content
bottom	After article content
both	Before and after content

Features:

• Share Buttons - Add social sharing to articles
• Activity Integration - Post articles to activity stream
• Points Integration - Award points for reading/creating content
• Badge Integration - Award badges for content milestones

When to Enable:

• If using Joomla articles with Sociable
• For article sharing functionality
• For points/badges based on article activity

Setup:

1. Go to System → Manage → Plugins
2. Search for "Content - Sociable"
3. Enable the plugin
4. Configure sharing options

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Privacy Plugin (plg_privacy_sociable)

GDPR compliance and privacy integration.

Features:

• Data Export - Export user Sociable data on privacy request
• Data Deletion - Delete user Sociable data on privacy request
• Privacy Manager Integration - Works with Joomla Privacy Manager

Exported Data:

• Profile information
• Posts and activities
• Comments and reactions
• Connections and messages
• Points and badges
• Group memberships

When to Enable:

• Always enable for GDPR compliance
• Required for privacy data export/deletion requests

Setup:

1. Go to System → Manage → Plugins
2. Search for "Privacy - Sociable"
3. Enable the plugin

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Authentication Plugin (plg_authentication_sociable)

Social login authentication handler.

Features:

• OAuth Handler - Processes OAuth callbacks from social providers
• Token Management - Manages social login tokens
• Account Linking - Links social accounts to Joomla users

When to Enable:

• If using social login (Facebook, Google, etc.)
• Works with authentication providers configured in Sociable settings

Setup:

1. Go to System → Manage → Plugins
2. Search for "Authentication - Sociable"
3. Enable the plugin
4. Configure OAuth providers in Sociable component settings

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Recommended Configuration

Minimal Setup

Enable these for basic functionality:

1. plg_system_sociable - Required for core features
2. plg_user_sociable - Required for profile sync

Full Integration

Enable all plugins for complete functionality:

1. plg_system_sociable - Core system integration
2. plg_user_sociable - User profile sync
3. plg_content_sociable - Article integration
4. plg_privacy_sociable - GDPR compliance
5. plg_authentication_sociable - Social login (if using)

Module Placement

Recommended module positions:

Module	Recommended Position
mod_sociable_notifications	Header/Navigation
mod_sociable_feed	Sidebar or Homepage
mod_sociable_members	Homepage or Sidebar
mod_sociable_groups	Homepage or Community page

Troubleshooting

Module Not Displaying

1. Verify module is published
2. Check menu assignment
3. Ensure position exists in template
4. Clear Joomla cache

Plugin Not Working

1. Verify plugin is enabled
2. Check plugin ordering (Sociable plugins should load early)
3. Review system logs for errors
4. Ensure dependencies are met

Real-time Notifications Not Working

1. Enable "Realtime Notifications" in System Plugin
2. Check browser console for WebSocket errors
3. Verify server supports long-polling or WebSockets

Next Steps

• Social Login - Configure OAuth providers
• Points System - Plugin integration with points
• Badge System - Plugin integration with badges